Raymond Kelly Says There’s No Rift Between NYPD and Community

New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly denied there was a rift between the police and average New Yorkers, addressing in his most direct language a prominent campaign theme of Democratic mayoral nominee Bill de Blasio.

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Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly at the Columbus Day Parade on Oct. 14.

“I think that the notion that the relationship between much of the community and police has frayed is a lot of political talk,” Mr. Kelly said in an interview Thursday evening at a fundraiser for the New York Police & Fire Widows’ & Children’s Benefit Fund. “It doesn’t bear out when you look at the polls or when you walk down the street. I’ve been around a long time. I think our relationship with the community is stronger now than it’s ever been.”

Mr. Kelly didn’t address Mr. de Blasio by name, and his comments were directed generally at the political conversation happening in the city. Mr. de Blasio has spoken often of a frayed relationship between the New York Police Department and communities, especially those in black and Hispanic neighborhoods where the department’s stop-and-frisk tactic has become controversial.

In Tuesday night’s debate with Republican Joe Lhota, Mr. de Blasio said he would keep the city safe by “bringing police and community back together by ending the overuse of stop-and-frisk and the division it’s caused.”

“People believe we can make the city safer and end the overuse of stop-and-frisk and abuses of stop-and-frisk that have unfortunately caused a rift between police and community in many neighborhoods in this city,” Mr. de Blasio said. “Let’s move away from the things that have unfortunately caused a lack of partnership between the police and community. That’s what people want to see.”

Asked what improvement Mr. Kelly would make for his officers if he could make just one, he said he would “add more police.”

Mr. Kelly’s call for additional police officers is an implicit criticism of his boss, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has denied requests from elected officials and mayoral candidates to increase the size of the 34,000-officer force. Mr. de Blasio has also called for maintaining the police force at current levels.

“Of course I believe it’s the optimum level,” Mr. Bloomberg said in May about why his budget for the current fiscal year didn’t expand the number of police officers.

The de Blasio campaign did not immediately return a request for comment.